Yorwil one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Yorwil here.

I walked this route on Armistice Day in November which started cool and overcast and then brightened to long sunny intervals in the afternoon. At 12.4 miles it is long for me for a day walk and I was very tired by the end - but this review should be about the route, not my stamina!

The route is mostly level. It starts alongside the River Ouse in York and passes through the villages of Osbaldwick, Murton (where I paused awhile by the leafy war memorial), Dunnington and Kexby before skirting the top of Newton on Derwent and finishing at Wilberfoss. It follows a mix of urban pavements, tarmac cycle tracks, farmland, country lanes, gravel farm tracks and finally some river walking (this stretch will be impassable when the River Derwent is in flood).

There was one blocked footpath which is where the route leads between 2 houses in Murton (pictured) - it leads into a horses' field from where there is no exit. This problem can be easily circumvented by continuing on to Smary Lane from where you will rejoin the intended route.

There are 3 major road crossings on the level. There is no traffic island on the A166 but I think the limit is 40mph here - I had no trouble crossing mid morning. Near the end of the walk the A1079 needs to be crossed twice - in each location there is a traffic island making crossing a little safer. There is some road walking right at the end which was not enjoyable.

Apart from the interest involved in walking through the streets of historic York at the beginning, the most enjoyable parts for me were striding along the edge of Hagg Wood and the short walk along the River Derwent towards the end. This area of flood plain is now a nature reserve.

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